A light emitting diode (LED) is a kind of a semiconductor device that converts electric energy into light.
The LED is advantageous as compared with a conventional light source, such as a fluorescent lamp or an incandescent lamp, in terms of life span, response characteristics, stability and environmental-friendly requirement.
In this regard, various studies have been performed to replace the conventional light sources with the LEDs. The LEDs are increasingly used as light sources for lighting devices, such as various lamps used indoors and outdoors, liquid crystal displays, electric signboards, and street lamps.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a structure of an LED lighting apparatus according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the LED lighting apparatus includes a heat radiation frame 10, a substrate 30 which is formed in the heat radiation frame 10 and to which at least one light emitting device 20 is attached, and a diffusion frame 40 which covers the substrate 30 to which the light emitting device is attached.
Further, a reception groove (not shown) is formed in the heat radiation frame 10, and a power supplying module (not shown) is provided in the reception groove.
The power supply module is electrically connected to the light emitting device 20 attached to the substrate 30 to supply a driving power for driving the light emitting device 20.
The light emitting device 20 generates light by the driving power supplied through the power supply module. The generated light is radiated to the outside through the diffusion frame 40.
However, the LED lighting apparatus described above is not equipped with a function of controlling an intensity of light generated from the light emitting device 20 through the communicate with the outside.
In order to have the function of automatically controlling the light intensity, an additional communication module for communicating with the outside must be disposed in the reception groove of the heat radiation frame 10.
However, since the heat radiation frame 10 has a wave shielding function, the performance of the communication module placed in the heat radiation frame 10 is degraded due to the wave shielding function of the heat radiation frame 10.